


stay the night

by manamune (orphan_account)



Series: 30 Day NSFW Challenge [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Post-Coital Cuddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 06:59:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9536957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/manamune
Summary: There’s something intimate about being skin-to-skin that unnerves Keith.





	

**Author's Note:**

> day 1: naked cuddling

There’s something intimate about being skin-to-skin that unnerves Keith.

Lance’s arms feel like lead, snaked around his waist, and he tries hard to ignore the way his breath tickles over the nape of Keith’s neck. He appears relaxed like it isn’t unusual or odd or the number of uncomfortable things Keith is thinking of.

Keith shuts his eyes and attempts to mimic Lance’s disposition. Satisfied. Content. He barely manages to imitate it for thirty seconds before he’s tearing Lance’s hands from him, frowning.

Lance opens one eye and glances up at him. There’s a nasty bruise on his collarbone, shaped like Keith’s teeth; Keith at least has the mindfulness to feel ashamed, looking at it.

“What’s wrong?” Lance asks, sleep strong in his voice. He probably thinks Keith is being unreasonable, more tedious than necessary.

For him, it’s probably nothing. Keith swallows his anxiety at that and throws his legs over the edge of the bed. His toes curl against the warm floor of Lance’s room; it’s significantly warmer than his own.

“I’m going back to my own room,” Keith announces, and yet he doesn’t move.

Predictably, Lance sits up to face him. The sheets fall from his chest and Keith spares a glance back at him. He’s really handsome, Keith thinks. It’s unfortunate that his overbearing personality does him no favours in picking up all the cute alien girls he passes by.

Which reminds Keith of his status as Lance’s replacement. He scowls and looks back at the wall, preparing his tired muscles to stand up.

“Why?” Lance brushes the hair from Keith’s neck and presses his nose to the back of his head. “Is it too warm in here?”

On the contrary, Keith much prefers the warmth of Lance’s room to the coolness of his own; but the cold keeps him awake and alert in the night. He’s not one to risk practicality for brief moments of relief. “No, it’s fine.”

“Then…”

Lance’s lips move against his hair. Keith imagines how easy it would be to turn around and roll Lance onto his back. How effortlessly he could pull Lance’s legs over his shoulders, or slide himself onto Lance’s cock.

Again.

Keith shivers and pulls back, shaking himself out of Lance’s light grasp. “I need to shower.”

“You can use my shower.” Lance’s hands don’t chase after him, though they do fall and twitch awkwardly on his lap. This part is always the worst. The discomfort of not knowing how to toe the line between intimacy and friendship is so strong that Keith considers, always, after they fuck whether it’s worth it or not.

Of course, he reaches the same conclusion every time, and drags himself through it.

“You don’t have my shampoo,” Keith counters.

“Your hair will get greasy from sweat either way.”

“Aren’t you the one who’s always touting self-care?”

“I can take care of you in the shower,” Lance grins. Keith scoffs and bites the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from grinning back. He feels like a fool with the way his heart picks up. “Come on, we can shower tomorrow morning. It’s not like you’re dirty.”

He certainly feels dirty. He’s sweaty and smelly and he can’t imagine why Lance would even want to lie beside him anyways.

“I don’t mind,” Lance continues. “I mean, I really—” he cuts himself off. After a moment, he raises his hand and reaches for Keith’s. Keith doesn’t fight him as he slots their fingers together; Lance’s are longer than his. Spider fingers, he recalls Lance calling them. He very much likes Lance’s fingers, especially when they’re trailing over his skin.

“You really...?” Keith prompts, unable to sate his curiosity. He’s a little winded from the way Lance rubs his thumb along the soft part of Keith’s palm.

“Cuddling is nice, isn’t it?” Lance says instead. He looks at Keith’s feet, blushing. He doesn’t have any hair to cover his red ears like Keith does.

“I don’t know. I don’t do it often.”

Lance smiles again at him. “Then that’s all the more reason to try now!”

He sounds happy. Keith’s stomach flips. He takes a deep breath to calm the butterflies making themselves home in him, then sits back down on the bed reluctantly.

But he does need to shower, he reminds himself harshly. And it’ll be no good if he gets used to staying with Lance after they fuck. _And_ it’s always been difficult for him to get to sleep; Lance will get annoyed with him if he keeps tossing and turning…

Lance throws one leg in between Keith’s so that he can face him, half on his lap and half on the bed.

“It’s just cuddling,” Lance says. He brushes his palm over Keith’s forehead and lifts up his bangs, rubbing out the crease in between his eyebrows.

“It’s just sex,” Keith mumbles back.

Lance stares at him for one very long moment, then nods. “Yeah, it is,” he agrees. “So it doesn’t matter. Just let me hold you for a while.”

Keith bites his tongue, holding back what he really wants to say— _don’t agree if you don’t mean it._ He only stops because he doesn’t want to ruin this. _This_ , whatever this is, tentative and careful.

Dragging the sheets back over them, Lance makes himself snug against Keith’s back. He’s felt Lance’s chest against him before, bent tall over him as he fucks Keith into the mattress or as he rubs himself against Keith’s cock. This is different, though.

He tucks his face into Lance’s pillow. It smells like him, and of sex. It’s not a very pleasant combination; an unfortunate part of Keith appreciates it all the same.

“Just think of yourself as a teddy bear,” Lance whispers. He already sounds tired again. Keith wishes he could have the ability to fall asleep so quickly.

“That’s not very flattering.”

Lance laughs, right against his ear. He’s so close that Keith can feel every vibration of his chest. If he focuses, he can pinpoint his heart beating.

“Try and sleep. Your dark circles are massive.”

Keith actually frowns this time. “Would it kill you to compliment me?”

Lance’s hand moves from his hip to his hair, tucking it behind his ear then tracing over his jaw. Keith tilts his face towards him despite knowing better—they’re not having sex, they’re just cuddling, there’s absolutely no reason to lean into Lance’s touch like this—and kisses Lance back when their lips touch.

“No, alright, I’ll try. I think you’re beautiful,” Lance whispers against his mouth, tongue barely grazing Keith’s lower lip. He pulls away, eyes crinkling, “...when you get some sleep.”

Keith squints at him, then turns back over. “You’re insufferable,” Keith mutters.

“Yeah, yeah.” Lance settles back down around him. “Night, Keith.” He presses one last kiss to Keith’s shoulder.

Underneath the sheets, Keith finds Lance’s hand on his stomach and slips his own underneath.

“Goodnight,” Keith mumbles back, and closes his eyes as well.

Lance smiles against him. Keith finds sleep comes easily that night.

**Author's Note:**

> [main blog](http://shirogane.tumblr.com)   
>  [twitter](http://twitter.com/ritsuizus)   
>  [writing blog](http://forgive.tumblr.com)


End file.
